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Canada News.Net
11 hours ago
- Politics
- Canada News.Net
Pope Leo urges end to 'indiscriminate' use of force in Gaza
CASTEL GANDOLFO, Italy: Pope Leo has issued a heartfelt appeal for an end to the violence in Gaza, condemning what he described as the "barbarity of war." His urging followed last week's Israeli strike on the only Catholic church in the territory. The attack on the Holy Family Church compound in Gaza City killed three people and injured several others, including the parish priest. Photos from the site showed damage to the church's roof near its main cross, with its stone facade scorched and windows shattered. Addressing the faithful from Castel Gandolfo after his Angelus prayer, Pope Leo expressed his deep sorrow and named the victims of the strike. "I appeal to the international community to observe humanitarian law and respect the obligation to protect civilians as well as the prohibition of collective punishment, of indiscriminate use of force and forced displacement of the population," he said. The pope appealed for "an immediate halt to the barbarity of the war" and for "a peaceful resolution of the conflict." The pope later told journalists, ""We must encourage everyone to leave weapons behind, and to leave behind the money-making that is behind every war.' The pope's remarks come amid mounting concern over civilian casualties in the region and growing calls for restraint from global leaders and humanitarian organizations. Aside from the unprecedented death and destruction that has gripped Gaza for the past year and 9 months, people are now dying of hunger. 101 Palestinians, including eighty children, have died of starvation in recent days Nebal Farsakh, a spokesperson for the Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS), a branch of the International Red Cross, said people in the enclave are facing an "unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe" and warned the "situation is only getting worse." "Since the closure of all crossings for more than four months, there has been no food, no clean water, medicine… getting into the Gaza Strip," Farsakh said in a video. "This has resulted to a catastrophe where people are literally starving to death," she said. "More people are being admitted to hospitals with malnutrition, especially among children, pregnant women and elderly," she added.
Asahi Shimbun
16-07-2025
- Politics
- Asahi Shimbun
Ishiba seeking to cut down lines for women's public restrooms
Women form a long line for a public restroom at the metropolitan Yoyogi Park in Tokyo's Shibuya Ward on April 12. (Tomoko Yamashita) Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba has decided to make a serious effort to solve the problem of women constantly facing long lines for public restrooms due to a lack of facilities. The central government's 'basic policies for economic and fiscal management and reform,' approved by the Cabinet in June, clearly states the need to improve the circumstances surrounding women's restrooms. Aiming to eliminate gender-based inequity in restroom issues is one of Ishiba's key measures. A liaison meeting of related ministries and agencies was held on July 9 where it was decided to issue a notice to organizers of large-scale events requesting that they ensure there are sufficient temporary bathrooms for women. Unlike men's restrooms that rarely see crowding, it is typical for women to expect a line for the women's restroom when going out for the day. According to Manami Momose, the total number of male toilets, including urinals, at 907 locations nationwide as of June 22 was 1.73 times that of toilets in women's restrooms. Locations tallied included train stations and commercial facilities. Momose is an administrative scrivener who embarked on a project to determine the number of public toilets and urinals by gender after being stuck in line many times. On the other hand, the number of women's toilets exceeded that of men's toilets at only 46 locations. Ishiba's thinking on the issue is based on the 'Sphere Standards' established by the International Red Cross and other organizations for disaster shelters, according to officials. It is estimated that women require three times the amount of time men need in a restroom, and the Sphere Standards specifies the minimum number of toilets required in a disaster as 1:3 for men and women. If this were applied to public and commercial facilities in Japan, the number of women's toilets nationwide would need to be greatly increased from the current amount. According to government officials, Ishiba's attention to the issue was piqued when Takanori Yokosawa, an Upper House lawmaker of the main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, raised it during a meeting of the Upper House Committee on Audit on June 9. Learning that the government had no measures to deal with the problem, the prime minister began to talk to those around him, asking if something could be done. Definitively bringing about a significant increase in the number of women's toilets is not likely to happen overnight, however. The transport ministry, which has jurisdiction over restrooms at train stations and airports, is not aware of the actual number of men's and women's toilets, according to a ministry official, and specific measures for their maintenance are still under consideration. The ministries and agencies that have jurisdiction over toilets vary depending on their location. Therefore, it is necessary to establish a cross-governmental system. A senior government official said, 'A large amount of budgetary support, including subsidies for maintenance costs, will be necessary.' (This article was written by Tatsuya Harada and Kei Kobayashi.)
Metro
11-07-2025
- Politics
- Metro
I saw my first dead body aged 8 - it wasn't the last
The Bosnian War took everything from me – my home, my dad, uncles, and friends. Everything I once knew. Before the war, my childhood in my hometown village of Barane (in the south of modern day Bosnia and Herzegovina) was amazing. My family was Muslim – made up of my dad, mam, older brother, and older sister. The only things that mattered to me were which cartoons we watched, which books we liked, and – most importantly – which football clubs we supported. But slowly, our childhood games changed. We stopped playing hide and seek, and started playing soldiers, tanks, and camps. When I was seven years old, the siege of Sarajevo by Serb forces began and Bosnia became the setting of Europe's only genocide since the Holocaust. I wasn't aware that Serbian and Croatian politicians were equating Bosnian Muslims to animals, insects, and disease. One day, I even remember finding Mam crying in front of the TV. She quickly wiped her tears, then hugged me, kissed me on the head, and told me not to worry. Years later, I realised she had been watching the war spread across Bosnia. In spring 1992, war came to our village. At first, it felt surreal. After about two months, my parents made a decision that we had to flee our home for our own safety. In the first nine months of war, we moved 14 times before we eventually settled with one of my uncles in a nearby village. Things got much worse in the summer of 1993 when Croatian forces began rounding up Muslim men into concentration camps, including my dad and most of my male relatives. Some of my cousins were just 16 years old. I cried myself to sleep that night. In the aftermath, I wouldn't leave my mam's side. There were also camps for women and children and on August 4, we were rounded up in a 'collection centre'. That's when we were searched by Croatian soldiers. Mam was forced to sign a document stating she was giving up everything we had for 'safekeeping' to the local council. One of the soldiers even tried to bribe me with chocolate to tell him if we were hiding anything. I remember seeing myself crying in the reflection of his sunglasses. We were then loaded onto cattle trucks along with other families and driven a couple of hours towards Bosnian government territory, south of Mostar. That day was the first time I stepped over a dead body to survive. We eventually made our way to my aunt Emina's house, my mam's older sister, where we were allowed to stay. We were exhausted, frightened, and starving. Life was really difficult at Emina's house because thousands of shells rained on the city daily. We fell asleep hungry every night, but my mam and aunt were so resourceful. They used chicken feed to make bread and grass to make pies. We started school as an act of defiance, but it was safest to go at night. I was desperate to learn to read and write because we started receiving letters from my dad through the International Red Cross. This is when we learnt what had happened to him. He ended up in Dretelj, a former military complex, and kept in one of the tunnels that went deep into the mountain. Within weeks of arriving in the concentration camp, he lost four stone (25kg) after being treated very badly. He still can't talk about the full details. He was there for a few months before the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) helped secure the release of around 500 prisoners. The UK was one of several countries to take in refugees. My dad was brought to Newcastle. We were so relieved that he was safe and we desperately wanted to be reunited with him. Unfortunately, it would be six full months until that was possible. In the meantime, on the night of January 24, 1994, Croat forces dropped bombs from a plane onto Mostar. Through my classroom window, I saw our street in flames. It turned out that my auntie Emina was wounded. She had been standing at the front door when she heard the plane, then the blast threw her back into the house. Family members managed to get her to a hospital, but it lacked medical equipment and medicine. She died the following morning on January 25. I lost all faith in humanity. My life felt fragile and meaningless. On June 19, the Red Cross came to find us in Mostar and gave us two hours to decide whether we would leave Bosnia. It was a difficult decision to leave my grandparents and cousins, but I was excited to see my dad again. We were then taken to a refugee camp in Croatia, where we spent exactly a month. We arrived in London on July 19 and flew to Newcastle later that day. We were reunited with my dad at the airport that same day. My sister spotted him in the crowd first and ran to him, then my brother followed quickly after her. Smajo Bešo is the founder of the Bosnian Genocide Educational Trust. For more information about the work they do, visit their website here. I held on to my mam. I was frightened, nervous, and shy. But as soon as I saw him approaching us, I ran to him. I feel like I can still feel that hug now. I was so happy, but that feeling didn't last. On our first night in Newcastle, I woke up screaming. I suffered with PTSD for many years after that. Ever since, we rarely discussed what we went through, but I have since realised that my family has been reliving the same trauma for generations. My great grandad was in a concentration camp during the First World War, then my grandad in the Second World War, and finally my dad in Bosnia in the 1990s. I grew up wondering if this fate awaited me too. Our plan was always to stay in the UK temporarily, but we learnt in the years since that our house had been torched. We still have the key to the home though because a part of us believes we'll go back one day. After high school, I went to Newcastle University to study architecture, completing both my undergraduate and Master's degrees. I started working as an architect before moving to the university to teach architecture in 2016. I've had the urge to tell my story ever since I was a child. It helped me feel like I was moving toward justice. Importantly, it helped me heal. I came to understand that my story could be a powerful tool for peacebuilding. Only by acknowledging the truth of the past can we build a safer, more just future. So I started sharing, anywhere people were willing to listen. Hundreds of times a year, up and down the country. In 2020, I established the Bosnian Genocide Educational Trust. Then in 2023, I was awarded an OBE by King Charles for my work in genocide and Holocaust education. I attended Buckingham Palace with my wife, Allija, and mam. It was an emotional day for all of us. More Trending I must say, I have never been as frightened as I have been over the past year. The language used by far-right politicians today is eerily reminiscent of the rhetoric Serb and Croat nationalists used in the 1990s. Despite everything my parents experienced in Bosnia, they remain beacons of strength, hope, and inspiration. We just celebrated my dad's 73rd birthday and my mam's 65th. They were surrounded by all their children and grandchildren, it was a beautiful day. My parents always say, those who tried to exterminate us, to break our spirit, to dehumanise us, only managed to dehumanise themselves. Yet here we are, three generations together, full of life, love, and laughter. Do you have a story you'd like to share? Get in touch by emailing Share your views in the comments below. MORE: Delays and diplomacy: Inside Starmer's migrant deal announcement with Macron MORE: UK and France agree to 'one in, one out' migrant deal within weeks MORE: I struggled on stage like Lewis Capaldi – I'm in awe of his return
The Sun
02-07-2025
- Politics
- The Sun
Disturbing footage shows Putin's sick invaders dragging hogtied Ukrainian prisoner to his DEATH on rope behind motorbike
SICKENING footage of a Ukrainian prisoner being dragged across a road to his death by evil Russian invaders has been released. The defenceless prisoner of war (PoW) can be seen hogtied and strapped up to the back of a motorbike by a rope. 7 7 7 Disturbing video shows the fiend callously driving his military motorbike down an empty road in Russian occupied Ukraine. The Sun is choosing not to show the footage due to its barbarity. Two of Vladimir Putin's men can be seen taking part in the fatal act as one sits on the bike and the other drags the PoW into position. Moments later, aerial video captures the men driving away as the prisoner is taken along with them. It is unclear exactly where the footage is filmed from. It has now been blasted by Ukraine's human rights commissioner Dmytro Lubinets who blamed it on Putin's brainwashed invaders. Lubinets said: 'A video is being circulated on social media: it shows a man tied to a motorcycle and dragged along the road. 'This is demonstrative cruelty and another war crime by the Russian Federation.' He has contacted the United Nations and the International Committee of the Red Cross over the alleged atrocity which - if confirmed - amounts to a heinous war crime. It would be a 'gross violation' of the Geneva Conventions and International Humanitarian Law. Ukrainian PoW with says sick torture method left him begging for death 'Russia is acting like a terrorist state,' Lubinets continued. 'And it must bear fair responsibility for every crime. 'The Prosecutor General's Office reported on May 23 that 75 criminal cases involving the killing of 268 prisoners by Russian troops are being investigated in Ukraine since the start of the full-scale invasion.' Throughout the conflict, Putin's men have been accused of carrying out brutal war crimes. In January, Russian soldiers filmed themselves shooting dead six Ukrainian PoWs in cold blood. Kyiv launched a criminal investigation into the murders and reported the sickening killings to the UN and Red Cross - insisting Russia cannot be allowed to so brazenly flout the laws of war. The PoWs are seen lying face down on the ground in a wooded area next to a temporary hut. 'This one's mine,' says one of the executioners after demanding: 'Give me two machine guns." And last October, a squad of Ukrainian drone pilots were executed by the Russians. I was branded by Putin's men and left begging for death as a PoW WARNING GRAPHIC CONTENT A UKRAINIAN prisoner of war who had the words "Glory to Russia" burnt on his skin has said he was left begging to die. Following his release in a prisoner swap earlier this year, Andriy Pereverzev has revealed disturbing details of his time in captivity, including the sick torture method known as "Calling Putin". The Ukrainian POW was captured in February 2024 on the battlefield after being severely wounded. Despite his pleas to just "end it" and "finish" him off, Pereverzev was carried to an encampment where he was brutally tortured. Speaking for the first time about his experience, Pereverzev told how he was mercilessly electrocuted by Vlad's troops seeking intelligence. He said: "While they were carrying me. I kept asking them, 'Finish me off. Just end it, but they didn't. "They used electric shocks on my open wounds a couple of times, and I started blacking out again." As well as being horrifically beaten, the POW described how he had the words "Glory to Russia" burned on his skin whilst in captivity. A disturbing photo emerged earlier this month showing the mutilated soldier. Nine of the unmanned vehicle aces were filmed being shot dead after being stripped to their underwear. Russia's dictator is also wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) after tens of thousand of Ukrainian children have been snatched by Russia in recent years. It comes as fighting between Russia and Ukraine has continued to escalate - over three and a half years into the conflict. One of Putin's top commanders was wiped out this week following the first Brit-made Storm Shadow blitz in months. The deadly strike hit "the headquarters of the 8th combined arms army of the Russian Armed Forces" in occupied Donetsk - killing Colonel Ruslan Goryachkin. Russia has unleashed deadly strikes almost every night in recent weeks as they look to steal away more land from Ukraine before agreeing to a peace deal. The strikes came as Donald Trump's special envoy Keith Kellogg hit back at Putin over delays in the peace process. Kellogg targeted the dictator's mouthpiece Dmitry Peskov as he slammed him, saying: "Peskov's recent comments on the state of negotiations are Orwellian. 'Russian claims that it is the US and Ukraine stalling peace talks are unfounded - President Trump has been consistent and adamant about making progress to end the war. 'We urge an immediate ceasefire and a move to trilateral talks to end the war. Russia cannot continue to stall for time while it bombs civilian targets in Ukraine.' 7 7 7 7
Saba Yemen
01-07-2025
- Politics
- Saba Yemen
Rights Center Condemns Denial of Access to Missing Persons in Gaza and Red Cross Inaction
Gaza – Saba: The Palestinian Center for the Missing and Forcibly Disappeared Persons on Tuesday condemned the ongoing denial of access for civil defense teams to areas where victims have gone missing in the Gaza Strip, and the lack of response by the International Committee of the Red Cross to urgent appeals from Palestinian citizens to rescue their loved ones. In a statement, the center confirmed the existence of major challenges in documenting the number of martyrs and missing persons due to ongoing Israeli attacks and limited resources. The center strongly criticized the Israeli occupation forces for preventing civil defense teams from reaching areas where victims are believed to be located. It also expressed astonishment at the response of the International Red Cross, which has received appeals from numerous parties but has failed to take action. The center further condemned the Israeli practice of withholding information about forcibly disappeared individuals, leaving families in the dark about the fate of their loved ones and compounding their suffering. The center called on the United Nations and the international community to launch an independent investigation into the fate of thousands of detainees from Gaza and to hold Israel accountable for crimes committed against them. It highlighted that thousands of families in Gaza continue to live in torment, waiting for news about their missing relatives, amid the absence of any effective international body tracking the fate of the disappeared. The center emphasized the urgent need to break the silence and act before it is too late. According to local estimates and testimonies from residents, Israeli forces have detained more than 11,000 Palestinian citizens since the beginning of the aggression on Gaza, subjecting them to various forms of abuse and torture, and executing a large number of them. Whatsapp Telegram Email Print
